My Favorite Coffee-part 2
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 07:46PM 
Coffee, everybody's morning friend. The daily ritual to drive away the fogs of sleep with the steams of steep (or brew), and open the clear light of another glorious day. Coffee being the portal to the glory. The price of entrence so to speak. But its more than that, its also a warm friend during the day or a 'pick-me-up' in the afternoon and for the hyper-active among us, a warm toddy to fall asleep with. I have many different brews and companies that I like, however just lately, I've come across the most delicious brand in a long time. And I've come across it in a most auspicious way, from clear across the country courtesy of my son who happens to be a roaster there. The company is Java Love Coffee Roasting Co. Bethel, NY. And their coffee is exquisite!
According to their website, Java Love was founded as a result of a quest for a good cup of coffee in Bethel (the site of the Woodstock Festival) by 2 women, Jodie Dawson and Kristine Petrik. Apparently they acquired a classic Dietrich IR-12 roaster (the state of the art in the art of roasting), which also came with a business in a nearby town. They moved the roaster and the business to Bethel and are now moving full speed ahead roasting beans from all over the world and shipping all over the world. Their commitment is to 'Coffee with Integrity'. They use only the very best Organic (O), Fair Trade (FT), Naturally Farmed (NF) and Rainforest Alliance (RA) coffee beans, that are produced with respect for the environment and the coffee farmers. This I find very intriguing and progressive. And exactly the opposite of 'Big Coffee'. And trust me, where the rubber meets the ground (pardon the pun), is in the taste!
My son sent me as a Christmas gift, 3 beautiful packages of beans that of course, he hand roasted himself, packaged in a very cool burlap bag that had the feel of 1940's South America. Now since they are beans, they must of course be ground. The beans lock the flavor inside until released at the last moment by a bath of very hot, not quite boiling, water. I use a French Press which I have found to be a very effective way of delivering terrific tasting caffeine. The 3 blends a were: French Roast, Ethopian Yirgacheffe, and Ethopian Sidamo. Though I love all three, my favorite is the Sidamo. It is roasted with the berries and so retain a sweet berry-like flavor. There is no bitterness in this coffee, no after bite. And I have found that the flavor actually improves as the cup cools down a bit-ariates-much like a fine wine.
A word on the coffee bush itself. Its unique as a crop in that the bush contains all at once, flowers, unripe berries and ripe berries. What that means is that coffee must be hand picked. And since the best coffee grows on steep hillsides in inaccessible places, the work is labor intensive. Just like the grapes that make up the many varietals of fine (and not so fine) wine, coffee is influenced by the terroir, the climate or micro-climate and the time of picking. And also like wine, these natural factors can be manipulated by man in the picking, roasting, grinding and finally by water temperature in the brewing. And of course if you add milk, cream or sugar! Its interesting to note by the way, that though most people think that French Roast, due to its dark color and fragrance, contains the most caffeine, the fact is that it doesn't. The intense roasting actually leeches out the potency.
If you love coffee, I highly recommend this brand, its made with integrity, love, and environmental consciousness-AND it tastes dang good!! You can get this fine coffee from Head Roaster, Travis Rivera, at http://javaloveroasters.com/ and it will be shipped to you pronto and fresh, just the way you like it!
Reader Comments (1)
Excellent coffee! Well balanced and rich but not bitter or burnt tasting like starbucks is. I have tried House, guatemalan and bad ass brew. Guatemalan is my wifes fav, I'm partial to the Bad Ass. Could be a guy thing. Thanks for the tip!